Winning Toto Japan Classic offers a high-tech toilet
The Toto Japan Classic champion will receive a high-tech toilet from tournament sponsor Toto. Jeeno Thitikul said she wants the prize, while her caddie has…
Jeeno Thitikul is eyeing a high-tech toilet as the prize for winning the Toto Japan Classic at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course. The tournament champion will receive the fixture from sponsor Toto, adding an unusual reward to the week’s title chase.
Thitikul said she would welcome the prize, even though she already has an automatic toilet at her home in Thailand. Her longtime caddie, Banpot ‘Kong’ Bunpisansaree, has also asked whether he could claim it if she wins.
“I definitely would love it for sure,” Thitikul said. “Best toilet in all of the countries [we play in].”
The opening round is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 9 p.m. EST. The event is a 72-hole, no-cut tournament at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course, co-sanctioned by the LPGA and JLPGA.
What does the Toto Japan Classic winner receive?
The champion receives a Toto high-tech toilet, a sponsor prize the tournament has awarded since 2022. Toto became a sponsor of the Japan Classic in 2015.
Last year’s model was worth around $15,000 and included a heated seat, an air dryer and a night light. This year’s prize has drawn attention before the first round, with Thitikul describing Japan’s toilets as the best among the countries on the tour schedule.
There is a personal stake for the world No. 2, too. A victory would give Thitikul her fifth tournament win of the year, according to her comments about the prize.
Her caddie spotted the toilet near the putting green and asked what it was for. Thitikul recalled that he saw the sign explaining the winner would receive it, then asked: “If you win, can I get it?”
Small prize, large conversation. The exchange captures the lighter side of a week in which the tournament’s sponsor has made a household fixture part of the championship reward.
Who is in the field this week?
Thitikul headlines the field alongside Miyu Yamashita, who won the Maybank Championship the previous week for her third LPGA victory in 2026. Yamashita ranks fourth in the world and leads the LPGA’s Vare Trophy race for low scoring.
Major champion Shiho Kuwaki also returns to the LPGA for the event. She moved into the world’s top 10 on the eve of the tournament and deferred LPGA membership until 2027. Kuwaki has won twice on the JLPGA since her playoff victory at the AIG Women's British Open.
The field includes five past champions: Nasa Hataoka, Rio Takeda, Ai Suzuki, Mi Hyang Lee and Jiyai Shin. Hataoka won in 2025 and 2018; Takeda in 2024; Suzuki in 2019; Lee in 2014; and Shin in 2010 and 2008.
Four Japanese players have won six LPGA events in 2026, including first-time winners Yuri Yoshida, Yuna Nishimura and Kuwaki. Yamashita attributed Japanese players’ success partly to demanding courses at home, which she said require precise ball-striking.
“I think most of Japanese courses are very demanding, especially with narrow fairway, so you will be required to have a good ball-striking,” Yamashita said.
Thitikul also pointed to Japanese players’ short games, calling them “the best.” The tournament’s opening round begins Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 9 p.m. EST.
